Base station time service method and system based on EMM (Empirical Mode Modulation) information

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a base station time service method and system based on an EMM (Empirical Mode Modulation) information. The method comprises the following steps: periodically detecting the synchronization state of a base station, detecting the state of a synchronization source if the base station is out of synchronism, starting a standby time service process if the synchronization source fails, and judging whether the base station has UE access or not; if the UE is not accessed, ending a time service process, and if the UE is accessed, intercepting an NAS layer signaling of the UE, analyzing and acquiring an EMM (Empirical Mode Model) Information message issued by a core network, and extracting timestamp information from the EMM Information message; comparing the timestamp with the system time of the base station to determine whether the system time of the base station needs to be calibrated; according to the invention, under the condition that the synchronization source of the base station fails, the timestamp information in the EMM information issued by the core network can be obtained through UE access, a new standby time service way is provided for the base station, the capability of keeping time synchronization of the base station in a complex environment is greatly improved, and the reliability of a communication network is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a base station timing method and system based on EMM (EPS Mobility Management) information messages. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communication systems, base station system time synchronization is crucial. If the base station time is out of sync, it will affect the access, switching and network maintenance of user equipment (UE).

[0003] In existing technologies, pico base stations usually rely on synchronization sources such as GPS, NTP (Network Time Protocol) or IEEE 1588. However, when the synchronization source fails (such as signal obstruction or network interruption), the base station time may be out of sync, resulting in reduced communication quality. Existing solutions mostly rely on redundant synchronization sources or complex hardware, which are costly and complex to deploy. Therefore, a low-cost backup timing solution is urgently needed. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a low-cost and easy-to-implement timing solution for a pico base station when other synchronization sources of the base station fail, thereby ensuring the stability and accuracy of the base station system time and guaranteeing the normal operation of wireless communications.

[0005] To achieve the purpose of the present invention, the following technical solutions are adopted: The first aspect of the present invention provides a base station timing method based on EMM information message, comprising the following steps: Regularly check the synchronization status of the base station. If the base station is out of sync, check the synchronization source status. If the synchronization source fails, start the backup timing process to determine whether there is UE access to the base station. If no UE is connected, the timing process is terminated. If a UE is connected, the NAS layer signaling of the UE is intercepted and parsed, the EMM Information message sent by the core network is obtained, and the timestamp information is extracted from the EMM Information message; The timestamp is compared with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated.

[0006] A further improvement is that the specific method of comparing the timestamp with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated includes: calculating the deviation value between the timestamp and the base station system time, and if the absolute value of the deviation value exceeds a preset threshold, calibrating the base station system time and marking it as a synchronization state.

[0007] A further improvement is that the synchronization source is any one of the following: a GPS synchronization source, an IEEE 1588 synchronization source.

[0008] A further improvement is that the method for checking whether the GPS synchronization source is invalid includes: obtaining the number of satellites, signal strength, and positioning accuracy information by reading the status register of the GPS receiver, and judging whether the GPS synchronization source is working normally; the method for checking whether the IEEE 1588 synchronization source is invalid includes: monitoring the sending and receiving of time synchronization messages in the IEEE 1588 network, and checking whether there is packet loss or excessive delay.

[0009] A further improvement is that the specific method of extracting the timestamp information from the EMM Information message includes: decoding the "Time Stamp" field in the EMM Information message according to the 3GPP TS 24.301 protocol to obtain the precise time information in the UTC format.

[0010] A further improvement is that a timer is provided inside the base station for automatically performing synchronization status checks at preset time intervals.

[0011] A further improvement is that the specific method of intercepting the NAS layer signaling of the UE includes: The identification information of the UE is sent to the signaling analysis module, and the signaling analysis module intercepts the NAS layer signaling data from the communication link between the base station and the UE according to the UE identification.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention provides a base station timing system based on EMM information messages, comprising: A synchronization detection module is used to periodically detect the synchronization status of the base station and detect the synchronization source status if the base station is out of sync; The backup timing startup module is used to start the backup timing process when the synchronization source failure is detected; The timestamp extraction module is used to determine whether a UE has accessed the base station; if no UE has accessed, the timing process is terminated; if a UE has accessed, the NAS layer signaling of the UE is intercepted and parsed, the EMM Information message sent by the core network is obtained, and the timestamp information is extracted from the EMM Information message; The comparison and calibration module is used to compare the timestamp with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated.

[0013] The third aspect of the present invention proposes an electronic device, comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, it implements a base station timing method based on EMM information messages as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0014] The fourth aspect of the present invention proposes a computer-readable storage medium, which includes a stored computer program, wherein when the computer program is running, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute a base station timing method based on EMM information messages as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: When the synchronization source of the base station fails, the present invention can utilize UE access to obtain the timestamp information in the EMMInformation message sent by the core network, thereby providing a new backup timing path for the base station, greatly improving the ability of the base station to maintain time synchronization in a complex environment, and enhancing the reliability of the communication network.

[0016] The present invention is applicable to base station systems, and also to base station plus repeater extended coverage systems, and is particularly applicable to distributed wireless systems, including optical fiber remote distributed systems, cable remote frequency shift repeater systems, frequency shift systems, sea area communications, low-altitude communications, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A flowchart of a base station timing method based on EMM information message of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an electronic device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present invention, the technical solution in the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiment of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiment is only a part of the embodiment of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0020] Please refer to the attached Figure 1 According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a base station timing method based on an EMM information message is provided, comprising the following steps: Step S1: Regularly detect the synchronization status of the base station. If the base station is out of sync, detect the synchronization source status. If the synchronization source fails, start the backup timing process to determine whether there is a UE accessing the base station.

[0021] Specifically, a timer is provided inside the base station for automatically performing synchronization status check at preset time intervals.

[0022] It is understandable that this step involves periodic checks on the synchronization status of the base station. If the base station is found to be out of sync (i.e., no longer in time synchronization with other network components), it is necessary to further check the status of the synchronization source. If the synchronization source also fails, the system will start the backup timing process and check whether there is user equipment (UE) access at the same time. For the detection of the synchronization source, it can be determined whether it has failed by checking the working status of the synchronization source equipment, signal transmission status, etc. Regular detection can timely detect synchronization problems and avoid service interruptions caused by time asynchrony. Starting the backup timing process can provide an additional safety guarantee when the main synchronization source is unavailable, ensuring that the base station can at least maintain service to a certain extent. Checking the UE access status helps determine whether it is necessary to continue with the subsequent steps.

[0023] Step S2: If no UE is accessed, the timing process is terminated. If a UE is accessed, the NAS (Non-Access Stratum) layer signaling of the UE is intercepted and parsed, the EMM Information message sent by the core network is obtained, and the timestamp information is extracted from the EMM Information message.

[0024] It should be understood that the EMM Information message usually contains information about user authentication and security settings. The present invention uses the timestamp embedded therein for synchronization purposes, which increases the efficiency of data utilization. In simple terms, based on the role of the EMM information message in the control plane interaction process between the user equipment (UE) and the mobility management entity (MME), the timestamp information carried by the message is used to subsequently recover the base station clock. Because the EMMinformation signaling depends on UE access, if there is no UE access, the signaling cannot be obtained, the timing process is terminated, and step 1 is re-executed to wait for UE access. The UE access can be identified by the communication connection status between the base station and the UE, such as whether the base station receives a specific access signal or request message sent by the UE. In actual operation, a special signaling parsing module can be used to parse the NAS signaling, and the timestamp information can be accurately extracted according to the format specification of the EMM information signaling. It should also be noted that the cell of the pico base station must be activated and UE accessed, which is a prerequisite for obtaining the EMM information signaling.

[0025] Step S3: Compare the timestamp with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated.

[0026] Specifically, the specific method of comparing the timestamp with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated includes: calculating the deviation value between the timestamp and the base station system time, and if the absolute value of the deviation value exceeds a preset threshold, calibrating the base station system time and marking it as a synchronization state. If it does not exceed the preset threshold, there is no need to calibrate the base station system time.

[0027] It should be understood that by setting a reasonable preset threshold, it can be ensured that the calibration operation is triggered only when a sufficiently large time difference is detected, avoiding unnecessary frequent calibration. For example, if the time represented by the timestamp is 10:00:00.123 (hours: minutes: seconds. milliseconds) and the base station system time is 10:00:00.150, then the difference between the two is 0.027 seconds. The judgment standard for excessive deviation can be set according to the actual application scenario and the requirements of the communication system for time accuracy. For example, when the time deviation exceeds a certain threshold (such as 50 milliseconds), it is judged that the deviation is too large. At this time, the calibration operation is started to adjust the base station system time to be consistent with the timestamp information.

[0028] When the original synchronization source of the base station fails, the present invention directly uses the timestamp information in the EMMInformation message sent by the core network without the need for additional hardware. The timestamp originates from the core network and its accuracy is synchronized with the network clock, thus realizing low-cost, high-reliability base station timing and ensuring system time synchronization. Compared with traditional solutions that rely on external synchronization sources (such as GPS), this solution can still obtain reliable time information even when the GPS signal is interfered by external factors such as weather and geographical environment or when the synchronization source equipment fails.

[0029] The present invention does not require additional configuration of complex and expensive synchronization equipment, and can achieve time synchronization using existing communication signaling, thereby reducing costs. The implementation process is relatively simple and does not require large-scale modification of base station hardware. It only requires adding corresponding signaling analysis and time processing function modules at the software level.

[0030] In this embodiment, the synchronization source is any one of the following: a GPS synchronization source, an IEEE 1588 synchronization source (Precision Time Protocol, PTP).

[0031] Specifically, the method for checking whether the GPS synchronization source is invalid includes: obtaining the number of satellites, signal strength, and positioning accuracy information by reading the status register of the GPS receiver, and judging whether the GPS synchronization source is working normally; the method for checking whether the IEEE 1588 synchronization source is invalid includes: monitoring the sending and receiving of time synchronization messages in the IEEE 1588 network, and checking whether there is packet loss or excessive delay.

[0032] It is understandable that GPS provides global coverage and high time accuracy. By reading data directly from the status register of the GPS receiver, the current synchronization status can be understood in real time. Through multi-dimensional judgment: a comprehensive analysis of multiple indicators such as the number of satellites, signal strength, and positioning accuracy can more accurately determine whether the GPS synchronization source is working properly. The IEEE1588 protocol can achieve high-precision time synchronization within a local area network and is suitable for various network environments. By monitoring the transmission of time synchronization messages, not only can the status of the synchronization source be evaluated, but also the overall health of the network can be indirectly reflected. Once problems such as packet loss or excessive delay are detected, measures can be taken quickly to repair or switch to an alternative synchronization source to reduce the impact on the service.

[0033] In a preferred solution of this embodiment, in step S2, the specific method of extracting the timestamp information from the EMM Information message includes: decoding the "TimeStamp" field in the EMM Information message according to the 3GPP TS 24.301 protocol to obtain accurate time information in the UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) format. Directly parsing a specific field instead of the entire message reduces unnecessary calculations and resource consumption, and improves processing efficiency.

[0034] In a feasible solution of this implementation, in step S2, the specific method of intercepting the NAS layer signaling of the UE includes: The identification information of the UE is sent to the signaling analysis module, and the signaling analysis module intercepts the NAS layer signaling data from the communication link between the base station and the UE according to the UE identification.

[0035] It is understandable that after receiving the UE identification, the signaling parsing module locates and intercepts the NAS layer signaling data in the communication link between the base station and the UE based on this information. Since the NAS layer is located above the control plane and mainly handles functions such as mobility management and session management, it contains some information that is very important for time synchronization, such as EMM Information messages. By accurately intercepting and parsing NAS layer signaling, the base station can more effectively use the time information from the core network to calibrate its own time, thereby ensuring service quality and user experience.

[0036] In a feasible solution of this embodiment, the signaling parsing module adopts a neural network model based on deep learning to perform signaling parsing. The neural network model consists of an input layer, multiple hidden layers and an output layer. Specifically: The input layer receives the preprocessed NAS layer signaling data. The preprocessing process includes data cleaning, normalization and other operations to improve the quality and consistency of the data and facilitate better learning of the neural network. It can be understood that the data cleaning stage is to remove noise, duplicate data and erroneous data in the signaling data; the normalization stage is to normalize the values ​​of each field in the signaling data according to a specific range, such as mapping the data value to the [0,1] interval.

[0037] The hidden layer adopts a multi-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) structure, which extracts features by sliding the convolution kernel on the signaling data, which is used to effectively capture the local features and patterns in the signaling data. Nonlinear transformations are performed between each hidden layer through activation functions (such as ReLU functions) to increase the expressive power of the model.

[0038] The output layer uses a softmax function to map the features extracted by the hidden layer into the probability distribution of each signaling type, thereby accurately identifying the EMM Information message.

[0039] During the model training phase, a large amount of labeled NAS layer signaling data in different scenarios is collected. These data contain various types of signaling and the corresponding correct identification (such as whether it is an EMM Information message). These data are divided into training set, validation set and test set. The training set is used to train model parameters, the validation set is used to adjust model hyperparameters to prevent overfitting, and the test set is used to evaluate the final performance of the model. During the training process, the stochastic gradient descent algorithm (SGD) is used to update the weights and biases of the model. By continuously adjusting these parameters, the loss function value of the model on the training set is gradually reduced. After multiple rounds of training, the accuracy of the model on the validation set reaches a stable and high level. When new signaling data is input, the trained model can quickly output the judgment result of the signaling type. When a specific message header (such as 0x123456) of the EMM Information message is identified, the message content is extracted.

[0040] It is understandable that after training with a large amount of annotated signaling data, the model can quickly and accurately filter out EMM Information messages from complex signaling flows. It solves the problem of how to accurately parse the EMM Information messages in the NAS layer signaling of the UE, significantly improves the accuracy of signaling parsing, and enhances the ability to obtain EMM Information messages in complex signaling environments.

[0041] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention proposes a base station timing system based on EMM information messages, which corresponds to a base station timing method based on EMM information messages provided in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention. Since a base station timing system based on EMM information messages provided in an embodiment of the present invention corresponds to a base station timing method based on EMM information messages provided in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, the implementation method of the aforementioned base station timing method based on EMMinformation messages is also applicable to a base station timing system based on EMMinformation messages provided in this embodiment.

[0042] Specifically, the system includes the following modules: A synchronization detection module is used to periodically detect the synchronization status of the base station and detect the synchronization source status if the base station is out of sync; The backup timing startup module is used to start the backup timing process when the synchronization source failure is detected; The timestamp extraction module is used to determine whether a UE has accessed the base station; if no UE has accessed, the timing process is terminated; if a UE has accessed, the NAS layer signaling of the UE is intercepted and parsed, the EMM Information message sent by the core network is obtained, and the timestamp information is extracted from the EMM Information message; The comparison and calibration module is used to compare the timestamp with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated.

[0043] See also Figure 2 , an embodiment of the present invention also provides an electronic device and a computer-readable storage medium.

[0044] like Figure 2 The figure is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device of this embodiment includes: a processor 11, a memory 12, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor 11. When the processor 11 executes the computer program, the steps in the above-mentioned embodiment of the base station timing method based on the EMM information message are implemented. Alternatively, when the processor 11 executes the computer program, the functions of each module / unit in the above-mentioned device embodiments are implemented.

[0045] Exemplarily, the computer program may be divided into one or more modules / units, which are stored in the memory and executed by the processor 11 to implement the present invention. The one or more modules / units may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of implementing specific functions, which are used to describe the execution process of the computer program in the electronic device.

[0046] The electronic device may include, but is not limited to, a processor and a memory. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the schematic diagram is merely an example of an electronic device and does not constitute a limitation on the electronic device, and may include more or fewer components than shown in the diagram, or may combine certain components, or different components, for example, the electronic device may also include an input / output device, a network access device, a bus, etc.

[0047] The processor 11 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The processor is the control center of the electronic device, and uses various interfaces and lines to connect various parts of the entire electronic device.

[0048] The memory 12 can be used to store the computer program and / or module, and the processor realizes various functions of the electronic device by running or executing the computer program and / or module stored in the memory, and calling the data stored in the memory. The memory can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store an operating system 121, an application 122 required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc.; the data storage area can store data created according to the use of the mobile phone (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the memory can include a high-speed random access memory, and can also include a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk, a memory, a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (Smart Media Card, SMC), a secure digital (Secure Digital, SD) card, a flash card (Flash Card), at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices.

[0049] Wherein, if the module / unit integrated in the electronic device is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the present invention implements all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment method, and can also be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program can implement the steps of the above-mentioned various method embodiments when executed by the processor. Wherein, the computer program includes computer program code, and the computer program code can be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form, etc. The computer-readable medium may include: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, recording medium, U disk, mobile hard disk, disk, optical disk, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), electrical carrier signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium, etc.

[0050] It should be noted that the device embodiments described above are merely schematic, wherein the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the scheme of this embodiment. In addition, in the accompanying drawings of the device embodiments provided by the present invention, the connection relationship between the modules indicates that there is a communication connection between them, which may be specifically implemented as one or more communication buses or signal lines. A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand and implement it without paying any creative effort.

[0051] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A base station timing method based on EMM information message, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Regularly check the synchronization status of the base station. If the base station is out of sync, check the synchronization source status. If the synchronization source fails, start the backup timing process to determine whether there is UE access to the base station. If no UE is connected, the timing process is terminated. If a UE is connected, the NAS layer signaling of the UE is intercepted and parsed, the EMM Information message sent by the core network is obtained, and the timestamp information is extracted from the EMM Information message; The timestamp is compared with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated.

2. A base station timing method based on EMM information message according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific method of comparing the timestamp with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated includes: calculating the deviation value between the timestamp and the base station system time, and if the absolute value of the deviation value exceeds a preset threshold, calibrating the base station system time and marking it as a synchronization state.

3. A base station timing method based on EMM information message according to claim 1, characterized in that: The synchronization source is any one of the following: GPS synchronization source, IEEE 1588 synchronization source.

4. A base station timing method based on EMM information message according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method of checking whether the GPS synchronization source is invalid includes: reading the status register of the GPS receiver to obtain the number of satellites, signal strength, and positioning accuracy information to determine whether the GPS synchronization source is working normally; the method of checking whether the IEEE 1588 synchronization source is invalid includes: monitoring the sending and receiving of time synchronization messages in the IEEE 1588 network to check whether there is packet loss or excessive delay.

5. A base station timing method based on EMM information message according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific method for extracting the timestamp information from the EMM Information message includes: decoding the "Time Stamp" field in the EMM Information message according to the 3GPP TS 24.301 protocol to obtain the precise time information in the UTC format.

6. A base station timing method based on EMM information message according to claim 1, characterized in that: A timer is provided inside the base station to automatically perform synchronization status checks at preset time intervals.

7. A base station timing method based on EMM information message according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific method of intercepting the NAS layer signaling of the UE includes: The identification information of the UE is sent to the signaling analysis module, and the signaling analysis module intercepts the NAS layer signaling data from the communication link between the base station and the UE according to the UE identification.

8. A base station timing system based on EMM information, characterized in that: include: A synchronization detection module is used to periodically detect the synchronization status of the base station and detect the synchronization source status if the base station is out of sync; The backup timing startup module is used to start the backup timing process when the synchronization source failure is detected; A timestamp extraction module is used to determine whether a UE has accessed the base station; If no UE is connected, the timing process is terminated. If a UE is connected, the NAS layer signaling of the UE is intercepted and parsed, the EMM Information message sent by the core network is obtained, and the timestamp information is extracted from the EMM Information message; The comparison and calibration module is used to compare the timestamp with the base station system time to determine whether the base station system time needs to be calibrated.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, a base station timing method based on an EMM information message as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium includes a stored computer program, wherein when the computer program is running, the device where the computer-readable storage medium is located is controlled to execute a base station timing method based on EMM information message as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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